A Word A Day
by dancexinxthexflames
Summary: DL: A collection of one shots, each based on a special word. Words so far: Flirt, Pasta, Dollhouse, Graveyard, Questions, and Airplane.
1. Flirt

**Flirt**

He dons a suit, but no tie. After all these years he's trying hard not to look and smell like a cliché version of an everyday pretty boy. It's because he knows that she won't appreciate it anyway. It's because he knows she loves different things. Not like a normal girl.

He's done his research.

She's flaunting an evening dress – loose and long – like what a country girl would be comfortable in, like something she could dance in. And also, something she knows would show a little, but leave him yearning more. She knows he likes a flirt, a tease. She can read him like she can any other man, any city boy.

Hours of fashion labor and toil pay off when they spy each other's awestruck glances across the room. Trying to look impassive and failing. Not paying attention to their own dates.

He watches her dance, swaying her dress side to side, the dress working him like a charm. When the song ends, his uncontrollable subconscious subdues and his feet are disobeying orders. He's never danced in his life; he wouldn't dance for his life.

With a strong hand firmly on the other man's chest, pushing him away, his eyes are only for her.

"Do you mind?" he asks, but doesn't stay to wait for the response.

A graceful swoop and he has her in his arms, in sync to the song, and to the beat of their hearts. Her eyes ask what took him so long, masked with a mastered look of genuine surprise.

"Do I know you, sir?" she asks with a matching look.

"You're going to wish you do."


	2. Pasta

**Pasta**

His mom makes the best pasta – Linguini, Fetuccini, Bolognese, you name it.

So when he overhear her telling Stella that she hasn't had a decent plate of spaghetti in ages, he took it as her ay of telling him that a nice night with the family should be in order.

She doesn't seem anxious at all. She dresses quite daring, in a long, flowing skirt. She's pretty sure that his parents will love her, teasing him casually about the polo and tie he has decided to wear. He needs to clean up to impress his father – he always has.

He's even more nervous than she.

It is no surprise that his mother finds her extremely gorgeous and endearing – no awkwardness on the kiss on the cheek like they were best friends from long ago.

In the mean time, he shakes his father's hand formally. For once in his life, he has brought home something with which his father would be pleased. He doesn't show it, but father thinks Lindsay is beautiful and amazing and clearly out of Danny's league.

His mom embarrasses him as usual with naked baby photos. She has a quick, intellectual reply ready for everything they ask her. Impressive.

"He talks about you all the time…"

"He's never been this crazy over a girl before…"

"You two are so cute! When's the wedding?"

"You take care of my boy here, Lindsay."

"Daniel, we say grace in this house, remember?"

She flirts a little with his dad. She fawns and praises Danny around her mom. She is an expert at this.

The women swap pasta recipes before leaving. They seems said that she has to go.

If she learns how to cook like his mom… God forbid that wedding will be sooner than he expected.


	3. Dollhouse

**Dollhouse**

She watched, awestruck, as he wheeled in an enormously wrapped parcel, complete with a big red bow at its peak. She closed her eyes in mild disbelief as he stood before her – rocking on his toes, hands behind his back, like a naughty boy. He sported a mischievous yet anxious grin on his face.

"Oh, Danny…" she started softly, a hand attempting to cover the blush that was spreading all over her cheeks.

"Merry Christmas, Lindsay," he said with a small breath, using a hand to present his gift.

Lindsay gave a silent laugh despite herself, unable to prevent a smile from breaking out. Danny waited apprehensively for her reaction. When Lindsay had finally recovered from surprise, she turned to him with an embarrassed look.

"You said we weren't going to do presents, Daniel Messer," she playfully reprimanded him, pinching him where his 'love-handles' were – a habit that she had lately taken to. He stepped back with a shy, red-eared smile.

"I couldn't help myself, I'm sorry," he said with a grin.

"Please open it," he almost begged, unable to conceal his excitement.

She laughed. "Okay, okay. Keep your pants on, little boy."

"Are you sure you want me to?" he grinned again, resembling the Grinch.

"Be quiet, Messer, I'm concentrating," she scolded, with a hidden smile.

She bent down to unwrap the present, slowly peeling the layers off one by one, enjoying that she was torturing him cruelly as the seconds passed.

"One million years later…" Danny said sarcastically in a narrator voice.

Lindsay smirked and took the last bit off in one expert tear. What was underneath the Christmas wrapper almost brought tears to her eyes. It was exactly as she had described to him a few weeks back. Word for word, he had captured every detail – the blue shingled roof, the soft cream color of the walls, the front porch with the big swing that she used to put her dolls to sit on.

"Danny…" she breathed, tracing the house's contours with her fingers.

"How did you…?"

"You told me about it that night we had a blackout, remember?" he asked, looking down at his shoes.

"You seemed to love it so much, so I just decided to make you one…" he admitted shyly, showing her his bandaged and cut fingers.

"I'm sorry it might not be exactly like it, but the wood was really hard to handle, and you didn't describe the whole of it… I couldn't really remember some…"

She cut him off in mid-sentence by jumping into his arms with her hands around his neck and legs around his waist, kissing him fully on the lips. He was surprised at the intensity and vigor of her kiss, incessant for breath with her lips hungrily searching for more. He happily submitted to her fervency and allowed her hands to play freely with his hair and roam about his back. Carried by her passion, Danny pinned her up against the wall, refusing to stop the pleasure.

When she pulled away, his throat involuntarily moaned in protest. She panted mildly for air, the fluttering feeling in her stomach refusing to subside.

"Montana…" he drawled, eyes still shut. "Is this my punishment for not getting the dollhouse exactly right?" he asked weakly.

"What are you talking about?" she whispered in his ear. "It's perfect."

He smiled at her thankfully. "I'm glad you like it," he said, with only a low rumble of voice, peering at her lovingly through his glasses.

"Like it? Hmm, I love it…" she whispered, losing restraint and kissing him again.

Lindsay continued to kiss him again and again, stopping only to lay her forehead against his to regain breath.

"God, I love you," she said in resignation, closing her eyes with a serene smile.

"Shh. Be quiet, Monroe, I'm concentrating," Danny smiled, capturing her lips in his once more. "I'm trying to enjoy my Christmas present."

He didn't have to say it. One look at the dollhouse, and she knew that he loved her more than anything in this world. And sometimes, that was frightening.


	4. Graveyard

**Graveyard**

TV Night, Games Night and now, Dare Night.

Another of Ms. Stella Bonaseras great ideas. Or rather, a scheme to get her 'little brother' Danny Messer a night along with his newest and feistiest prospect.

"Montana, could you wait up a bit?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Just my luck that I get stuck with you tonight, Messer," she said, ignorant to Danny's feelings.

"Hey, no other guy would've worn that skirt and paraded in public, Montana," Danny pointed out, reaching up for support and hoisting himself up a cement wall, where Lindsay was already impatiently sitting and waiting.

"Eh, anyone would," she waved a hand in the air dismissively.

Danny shook his head with a short laugh. "You tough to please, you know that?"

"I know."

Danny smirks and is nothing less than impressed at her cockiness.

"So why are we at a cemetery in the dead of night again?" Danny asked.

Lindsay showed him a card in Stella's best block writing.

"Take a picture in an empty grave?" Danny whistled. "Stella is just getting crazier and crazier."

"You have a bad influence on her," Lindsay poked him in the chest before jumping off the wall and landing squarely on the earth.

"Hey, that hurt," Danny joked, following her springy leap unto the land.

"Come on, there's an empty one over there," Lindsay ordered.

"Yes Ma'am."

The place was deserted, hallowed and eerie. Danny felt like they were being set up for a bad ending horror movie. Cue the zombies?

"Hey Montana, you scared?" he teased, coming up to make scary noises in her ear.

"Danny, you're gay," she said, not in the mood but secretly willing not to shoe nervousness.

Danny just laughed. He knew nothing could scare Lindsay Monroe.

The hole was dug to perfect size – 6 feet under as the standard requirement. Lindsay beckoned with a hand to the grave and Danny gave her a 'you've got to be kidding me' look.

"Messer, I've don everything except that skirt thing and if I was a guy I would've done that one too… do you want to win this or not?" Lindsay sighed.

"Montana, I know we're forensic experts… but I'm really queasy about closed spaces. I'm sure you remember from my panic room incident…" Danny stepped away.

"Come on! I'm not tall enough to crawl out of there," she said. She had a point.

"Please?" She made an irresistible look.

He shrugged, unable to refuse her. He jumped into the hole and let her take the picture with her phone. He made a wacky dead face as she took it.

"That's going to be my wallpaper," Lindsay laughed.

"Haha. Okay, get me out of here," Danny begged.

"Quit being a girl, Messer," she teased, bending low to grab his hand.

Sometimes he wished she was like all the other fraidy girls… so he could protect her, be her hero, hug her when she was frightened. Score some macho points, maybe?

"Did you hear that?" Danny paused cautiously.

"It was a frog, Daniel."

Fat chance at that.


	5. Questions

**Questions**

"Why do you do that?" he asks.

"Do what?" she replies.

"Scrunch your face up like that when you look at evience?"

No reply.

"I don't know. I guess it helps me think."

"I think it's cute," he teases.

"Shhh. I'm trying to work here."

"Fine."

"Why do you have the whole Rent soundtrack in your ipod?"

"I like Broadway Musicals."

"Why do you hum in the shower?"

"Lots of people do it… It's a form of relaxation I guess."

"Who do you pray for every night?"

"Well… everyone. Ma, Pa, you."

"Why do you love One Tree Hill?"

"Nathan and Haley are really cute together!"

"Why do you dip your French fries in your ice cream?"

"I… don't know. It's good! It's better than oreos in peanut butter, mister."

"Why do you wear really big shirts at home?"

"I thought you like it when I wear your shirts!"

"Why are you…"

"Why are YOU asking me all these questions?"

"It's fun."

"Because you like to annoy me while I work?"

"No reason in particular."

"Well keep quiet, I have to work."

"Why?"

"Because Mac said… DANNY! Stop it!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" he laughs.

"Okay, no more questions until tomorrow, okay?"

"But…"

"DANNY. NO questions or you can sleep on the couch for 2 weeks, got that?"

"That's too bad, Montana…"

"What? Why?"

He smiles.

"I was going to ask you to marry me tonight."


	6. Airplane

**Airplane**

Danny drummed his fingers impatiently on his mini-table and tapped his feet on the foot rest noisily. He was sitting up, anxiously fumbling around and swiveling his head everywhere.

The old lady sitting next to him took of her earphones to momentarily observe his strage demeanor.

"You okay, honey?" she asked, staring at Danny. "Little fussy, aren't you?"

Danny went pink. "I'm sorry. I'm just… kinda nervous."

"There ain't nothing to be scared of sweetie. It's a flight to Montana. Unless you have a fear of buffalos and wheat…" the lady smiled.

Danny stifled a small laugh.

"No, ma'am. It's just that…" Danny scratched his head. "I'm kinda flying over to see someone."

"Ah. The special someone, ey? I'm guessing it's a long story?" the lady asked kindly.

"Quite," Danny answered with a smile.

"Well hurry up then, it's only a 3 hour flight you know."

"Well I'll be damned. If that ain't young love, I don't know what is," the lady smiled, shaking her head in resignation.

"Is she pretty?" the lady asked.

Danny smiled.

"She's beautiful."

The lady sighed and laid her head on her seat.

"If you really love her, honey, just don't let her go. Too many people make that mistake."

She tapped his cheek with her palm and put her earphones back on. It took a while for her words to sink in.

"I won't," Danny promised. "I won't let her go."


End file.
